Department for Transport

Bus Services Bill (HL)

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2016 to Question 40586, which key stakeholders his Department has met to discuss the potential contents of the secondary legislation and guidance needed to complement the Bus Services Bill.

Andrew Jones: The list below shows the key stakeholders with whom we have met thus far, to discuss the content of secondary legislation and guidance. Transport FocusBus Users UKDisabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC)TravelineOffice of the Traffic CommissionerUrban Transport Group members (UTG)Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT)Campaign for Better Transport (CBT)Local Government Association (LGA)Confederation of Passenger Transport structural committee members (CPT)Association of Local Bus Company Managers (ALBUM) Association of Transport Coordinating Officers (ATCO)Local Government Association (LGA) consortiumReal-time information group (RTIG)

Bus Services: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of buses on the road in England that he expects to be in compliance with the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations by 2017.

Andrew Jones: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) require buses designed to carry over 22 passengers on local and scheduled routes to incorporate features enabling disabled passengers to travel in safety and comfort. Single deck vehicles have had to comply since first January this year, and double deck buses must comply by 1 January 2017. I expect the operators of all vehicles subject to the Regulations to ensure that they meet the relevant standards by the respective deadlines. We will continue to work with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to ensure that PSVAR requirements are understood and enforced effectively, maintaining the high levels of accessibility that disabled people have come to expect from bus services.

Bus Service Operators Grant

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 8 of the Bus Services Bill Impact Assessments, how much public money has been spent on incentivising bus operators to share real-time punctuality data with local authorities through an uplift to the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Andrew Jones: Since 2010 operators have been able to apply for a 2% increase in Bus Service Operators’ Grant where automatic vehicle location equipment is fitted and operating. As a condition of receiving the incentive, the operator must provide data on request, to the Department and local authorities. This data sharing has enabled local authorities to provide real-time information to passengers and to identify jointly with operators actions that can be taken to improve the punctuality of bus services. Between 2010/11 and 2015/16 the Department has paid £19,902,803 under the incentive.

Bus Services: Registration

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been of making the bus registration process digital.

Andrew Jones: The Electronic Bus Service Registration system was introduced in January 2008. Development of the system in 2006/07 is estimated to have cost £300k.

Department for Transport: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) how much has been paid to officials of his Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport, comprising the central Department and the Executive Agencies, has paid a total of £62,266 on out of hours working payments in addition standard overtime payments since January 2016. Since January 2016, 113 individuals have received an additional out-of-hours payment. No additional payments have been offered to individual members of staff for a one-off occurrence. Arrangements for these out-of-hours payments were agreed by People Committee in the central Department and the appropriate Executive Boards in the Executive Agencies. Individual decisions on payments are taken by HR and the payments are funded from the Department’s salary budget.

Bus Services: Passengers

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2016 to Question 41437, what his policy is on establishing a statutory independent body representing bus users to complement the work of non-statutory non-profit organisations, such as Bus Users UK.

Andrew Jones: The Independent body Bus Users UK, have effective procedures in place to promote better standards and ensure passengers’ needs are met. The Bus Appeals Body also provide an independent means of reviewing bus passengers’ complaints where they have not been settled by Bus Users UK.I believe sufficient mechanisms are in place to ensure operators meet the needs of passengers.

Motorway Service Areas: Electric Vehicles

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorway service stations have rapid chargers installed to allow charging of electric vehicles.

Andrew Jones: At almost every Motorway Service Area in the UK there is at least one rapid electric vehicle chargepoint. A full list of the available chargepoints at Motorway Service Areas can be found on the Government’s National Chargepoint Registry: http://www.national-charge-point-registry.uk/. Highways England has a £15 million project to ensure that there is a chargepoint every 20 miles across 95% of the strategic road network, with the aim that these should be rapid chargepoints wherever possible.

Highways England: Vehicles

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Highways England vehicles there are available for motorway patrol; how many such vehicles are deployed at any one time; and how many such vehicles deployed carry defibrillators.

Andrew Jones: Highways England’s traffic officer service has 198 vehicles. On a typical weekday, there are approximately 90 vehicles deployed during the day shifts and around 49 for night times. Where there are major events or severe weather warnings, with likely impacts on the strategic road network, additional vehicles will be used. None of the vehicles carry defibrillators.

Calder Valley Railway Line: Electrification

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to Bradford and the wider regional economy of electrifying the Calder Valley line.

Andrew Jones: Later this year the rail industry will present its initial advice to Government on investment needs for the national network, drawing on the outputs of Network Rail’s long term planning process, including its refresh of the national electrification strategy. Taking account of this advice and other inputs – including from Transport for the North - the Government intends to articulate its emerging priorities for improvement to the national network during 2017.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Oral Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 905567, HC Deb, column 463, what discussions he has had with the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business, Innovation and Skills on the provision of grants for HGV training; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has met with the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding HGV driver training and officials at the Departments for Transport, Work and Pensions and Business Innovation and Skills continue to work together to help the freight industry address the driver shortage. The supply of new drivers has been increasing with about 10,000 more HGV driving test passes in 2015/16 compared to two years before. The industry has recently launched its Trailblazer Apprenticeship which will be funded through the apprenticeship levy. The Government is working to provide support for groups of people who need it most – for example jobseekers, people facing redundancy and specialist career transitions such as those leaving Military service.

Roads: Suicide

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27762, on roads: suicide, how many suicides or attempted suicides have been recorded on the Strategic Road Network in 2016 up to the most recent period for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: Highways England’s systems are used to record incidents that occur on the Strategic Road Network. Between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2016, the number of incidents defined as either suicide or attempted suicide was 568.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on his Department's plans for electrification of the Midland Main Line.

Claire Perry: The Midland Main Line programme will deliver electrification of the Midland Main Line from Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019 and from Kettering to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby by 2023. Following the vote taken by the British people for the UK to leave the European Union on 23 June their will must be respected and delivered. The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister. In the meantime, the Department continues working to deliver the Government agenda, including the above electrification programme.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Safety

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on which safety responsibilities Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd plans to be discharged by staff employed in the proposed role of on-board supervisor.

Claire Perry: Transport safety is a key objective of the Government and the UK has one of the safest railways in Europe. Each operator is responsible for the safety of their staff, passengers and services. The Office of Rail and Road’s duty is to ensure that those responsible for keeping Britain's railways safe for passengers, and providing a safe place for staff to work, do so.

Southern: Strikes

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has given permission for Southern rail services to be cancelled during the planned strike in July 2016.

Claire Perry: We are not aware of any planned official strike in July 2016.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Standards

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Govia Thameslink Railway Limited operate the Southern and London Midlands franchises to a high standard.

Claire Perry: The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance - this includes regular meetings with their senior management where performance is scrutinised and challenged. There are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd is the company that operates the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise that includes Southern services. London Midland is a franchise in its own right.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Mark Francois: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for the UK’s future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements for this. In the meantime, my department continues working to deliver the government’s agenda, and take forward the legislation that we set before Parliament in the Queen’s Speech.

Homelessness: Single People

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities provide adequate support to single people who are at risk of homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many, that is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to tackle homelessness. We have protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, which will amount to £315 million by 2020, to help them provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help. We are also exploring options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless in the first place.And we have also increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including to fund a £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. We also announced at Budget £100 million of funding for low-cost move-on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armenia: Genocide

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to recognise the mass killings of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

Mr David Lidington: It is the policy of the UK Government that recognition of genocide is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. While the terrible suffering cannot be forgotten and we must continue to remember and honour the victims of the past, we believe the UK’s priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples and Governments of Turkey and Armenia and to find a way for these two countries to face their joint history together.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (a) how much has been paid to officials of his Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not make any additional incentive payments over and above overtime payments to which staff may be entitled.

Iran: Prisoners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will urge the government of Iran to apply without discrimination Article 58 of the Islamic Penal Code to permit Kamal Foroughi's early release.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Any legal representations would be for Mr Foroughi’s legal team to consider and pursue within Iran. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told the British Embassy in Tehran that Mr Foroughi’s lawyers would be welcome to have contact with the Iranian Judicial authorities.

Turkey: Asylum

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of support provided by the Turkish government to refugees and asylum seekers in that country.

Mr David Lidington: The UK continues to recognise Turkey’s extraordinary generosity in hosting over three million refugees from Syria and elsewhere. Turkey now hosts more refugees than any other country in the world, and offers refugees access to healthcare, labour and education.

Israel: Palestinians

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the French government on Israel and Palestine since the conference organised by the French government.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on 7 June. During this meeting, they agreed to stay in close contact about the French government’s plans to follow up on their 3 June ministerial meeting. Foreign Office officials have since been in contact with their French counterparts.

Libya: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the long-term stability of the region of the composition of the Libyan coalition against Daesh in Sirte.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Daesh are on the back foot in Libya. I welcome the courage of the Libyan forces who are fighting Daesh in Benghazi, Sirte, and elsewhere. The defeat of Daesh in Libya will have a positive impact on the long term stability of Libya and the region. I welcome Prime Minister Serraj’s calls for all legitimate military and security forces in Libya to unite to form a unified command under the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to defeat Daesh.But it is also important to consider what comes after the defeat of Daesh, in areas that they control. We are working closely with the new Libyan government and international partners to develop a comprehensive approach to defeating Daesh, and also to post-conflict reconstruction, including through the £10m UK CSSF allocation.

Iraq: Iran

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to instigate a prompt and independent inquiry into the (a) missile attack on Camp Liberty on 4 July 2016 and (b) effectiveness of protection of residents of that camp.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We strongly condemn the attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on 4 July. In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi Government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty.It is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to investigate the attack against the camp and to provide adequate protection to the residents. We have publically called on the Government of Iraq to investigate the attack and bring the attackers to justice. In the coming days officials from our Embassy will raise the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and make clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Philip Hammond: I have been holding, and will continue to hold, discussions with my international counterparts on the outcome of the EU referendum. Last week I met international counterparts at the NATO summit. I will meet many more overseas counterparts at the Asia–Europe Meeting in Ulaanbaatar later this week. I will also attend the Foreign Affairs Council, which will include an informal dinner on 17 July with my European counterparts to discuss the referendum outcome and an EU and Gulf Cooperation Council Summit Dinner on 18 July.

Gibraltar

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the interests of Gibraltar as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr David Lidington: I saw the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, yesterday; it was my third such conversation with him since the UK referendum. I have not only recommitted the British Government to the full involvement of Gibraltar in the negotiations for our exit from and subsequent relationship with the EU 27; I have also invited the Chief Minister to identify the key economic priorities for the people of Gibraltar as we approach those negotiations.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of withdrawal from the EU on the UK's role in global affairs.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK referendum made a decision to leave the EU, not to turn our backs on Europe, let alone the world. Throughout the referendum debate, campaigns on both sides rejected any notion that a “Leave” vote would signal any kind of retreat from the world. The UK will remain a major player, fully engaged in world affairs, including through our membership of multilateral organisations. We are a Permanent member of the UN Security Council; the second largest contributor to NATO; a key member of the Commonwealth, of the G7 and the G20. We also remain committed to renewing the nuclear deterrent. Our voice will always be prominent – but we will perhaps have to work a little bit harder to ensure that our voice carries the same authority it did before.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the UK Government has made to the Iranian authorities on the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mr Philip Hammond: We continue to lobby the Iranians regularly about all our consular cases in Iran, including that of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. I have raised the case a number of times, and, on 4 July, spoke to Foreign Minister Zarif. I subsequently followed that up with a letter. On 18 May, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), the Minister with responsibility for the Middle East, met Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family. We will continue to push the Iranians for consular access to her—the challenge is that Iran does not recognise dual nationality—and for more information about the charges that are alleged against her.

Sudan: Foreign Relations

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's objectives are for the UK-Sudan strategic dialogue.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The dialogue is an important juncture in our relationship and we were invited by Sudan to commence it. Let me make it very clear that we need to continue to support Sudan. It is a source, host and transit country for migration. What is going on there affects the rest of Europe, and so we want to continue to help with the dire humanitarian situation there. Given that 2.5 million people are long-term displaced in Darfur alone, people need our support.

Northern Ireland Office

Community Policing: Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on community-based policing.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I meet the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on a regular basis to discuss a range of security issues.Community-based policing in Northern Ireland is an operational matter which rests solely with the Chief Constable.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Police Federation of Northern Ireland on levels of recruitment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I met representatives from the Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI) in December 2015 to discuss a range of issues. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland also met the PFNI in March 2016.Levels of recruitment are an operational matter for the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Technology and Innovation Centres: Northern Ireland

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure Northern Ireland benefits from the Catapult programme.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is continuing to develop the Catapult network and has prioritised core funding support for the Catapult network in the 2015 Spending Review.Northern Ireland (NI) is already benefitting from the Catapult Programme. The Digital Catapult has established local centres in Northern Ireland. It has just appointed a lead for its NI centres and is expecting the projects and activity to take shape and start in the coming months. The Precision Medicine Catapult will also be supported by a Centre of Excellence in Belfast.A number of other Catapults also have strong links with business and academia in Northern Ireland. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult worked with a team at Queens University Belfast to define the path to commercialisation for a therapy to help treat retinal vein occlusion, a common cause of visual impairment and blindness affecting around 16.4 million people across the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.The Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE) is a partner in the composites network with the National Composites Centre (NCC) of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.The High Value Manufacturing Catapult is also working with four industrial partners, including Bombardier Aerospace in Northern Ireland, on the VIEWS (Validation and Integration of Manufacturing Enablers for Future Wing Structures) Programme to bring promising wing design, manufacture and assembly technologies near to market readiness.The Future Cities Catapult has been working closely with the City of Belfast to harness new technologies and help to fulfil their smart city ambitions and provide better services to its citizens by inviting SMEs to meet the challenge of increasing revenue from business rates across the city.The Satellite Applications Catapult has a Knowledge Exchange Fellow based in Northern Ireland. This Fellowship, alongside funding from Invest Northern Ireland, is assisting an agricultural solutions business based in Northern Ireland to enhance its services through the utilisation of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology.

Trade Agreements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the availability outside the UK of experienced trade negotiators to assist the UK in negotiating trade deals with other states.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people needed to negotiate replacement trade agreements with (a) the EU and (b) non-EU countries as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Government plans to begin recruiting people to negotiate trade deals with the EU.

Anna Soubry: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 July to Question UIN 41526.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Joseph Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisations' priority markets are for 2016-17.

Anna Soubry: The UK Trade and Investment business forecasting process for 2016/17 has identified 35 markets with strong defence and security opportunities. They are:AustraliaBahrainBelgiumBrazilBruneiCanadaChileColombiaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyIndiaIndonesiaItalyJapanKuwaitLithuaniaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayOmanPolandQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSwedenThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States of America

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Vacancies

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39322, on his Department's vacancies, how many internal policy vacancies his Department has.

Joseph Johnson: The current number of internal policy vacancies being advertised in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ is 21.The number of advertised vacancies can vary depending on recruitment timelines. All vacancies are advertised online via Civil Service Jobs.

Apprentices: Taxation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Apprenticeship Levy on the (a) changes made by and (b) finances of employment businesses that supply temporary workers.

Nick Boles: An impact note on the apprenticeship levy is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-levy/apprenticeship-levy. The levy will apply to all employers in all sectors with a paybill above £3million with no exceptions. The Government will support all employers in using the levy funds to invest in apprenticeships and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills is working with employers to create apprenticeships across all sectors.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2016 to Question 39599, on Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: reorganisation, if he will place in the Library a copy of any document detailing the assessment that was made of the merits of split-site working and recruiting on a flexible basis through the consideration of alternative options.

Joseph Johnson: The Department’s consideration of alternative options is set out in ‘Consultation Response - Proposal for a Combined Headquarters and Policy Centre in London dated Thursday, 26 May, 2016.’ This document was shared with BIS staff and the Departmental Trade Unions. I refer the hon Member to my response to question UIN 39823, which explains why the Department will not be publishing the document; the same reasoning would apply to placing a copy in the Library.

Department for International Development

Refugees: Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will take steps to protect refugee camps in Syria.

Sir Desmond Swayne: Syria is the world’s biggest and most urgent humanitarian crisis. Attacks on civilians and violations of International Humanitarian Law are commonplace, and these have included attacks on camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The UN estimates that there are 6.6 million IDPs in Syria, which is almost half of all those in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.The UK is at the forefront of the response to the crisis. We have pledged over £2.3 billion for the UN-led response in Syria and the region, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. To date, we have allocated £561 million of this to support vulnerable people inside Syria. By the end of May 2016, UK support inside Syria had provided over 16.3 million food rations, each of which feeds one person for one month; access to clean water for 2 million people (peak month); 3.5 million medical consultations; and more than 5.1 million relief packages.Alongside our work to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, DFID works closely with the FCO to push for the protection of civilians within Syria. The protection of civilians was also at the heart of the “Supporting Syria & the Region London 2016” Conference, which the Prime Minister co-hosted in London in February. Participants agreed to use their influence with all parties to the conflict to halt abuses, to allow humanitarian agencies rapid, safe and unimpeded access throughout Syria in order to reach besieged and hard-to-reach areas.The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, any party seeking to establish a safe area would need to ensure sufficient military capability to guarantee safety from both aerial and ground attack, including by unconventional means. The UK position on military intervention within Syria is well known. In addition, in the current circumstances, the presence of foreign troops at such camps is likely to risk making them a target for some of the parties to the conflict.

Department for International Development: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of which policy areas within her Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Sir Desmond Swayne: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Department for International Development: Babies

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) the changing of babies in her Department.

Sir Desmond Swayne: DFID has 2 HQ buildings in the UK, 22 Whitehall and Abercrombie House, East Kilbride. Both offices have a nursing mothers room and are equipped with baby changing facilities and fridges to allow the storage of baby milk.

HM Treasury

Apprentices: Taxation

Phil Boswell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed Apprenticeship Levy on Barnett consequentials.

Greg Hands: We applied the Barnett Formula in the usual way to changes in departmental budgets at the 2015 Spending Review, which included spending funded by the levy. We are working closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that the share of the levy they receive is fair and transparent, and to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.

Financial Services: Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on the implication of the outcome of the EU referendum for future levels of employment in the UK financial services industry.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to the UK hosting the world’s most competitive international financial centre and securing a long-term economic relationship with the rest of Europe that provides for the best possible terms of trade in goods and services, including financial services. The Chancellor and other Treasury ministers have met, and will continue to meet, a number of financial services stakeholders since the referendum. The impact of the referendum on the financial services industry was discussed at these meetings. Future employment in the UK financial services industry will be commercial decisions for individual firms.

National Insurance Contributions: Complaints

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints relating to class 2 national insurance contributions have been received by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years.

Mr David Gauke: Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receives and responds to 50 million phone calls and 15 million letters from Self Assessment and PAYE customers. HMRC commits to responding to complaints within 15 days of receipt and therefore expects that, excluding any that may be received in the last few weeks before abolition, outstanding complaints will have been cleared. The number of complaints relating to Class 2 contributions received in the last three years is set out in the table below: YearNo. of complaints2013/1411222014/1512102015/16831

National Insurance Contributions: Complaints

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that all outstanding complaints relating to class 2 national insurance contributions are resolved before those contributions are abolished.

Mr David Gauke: Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receives and responds to 50 million phone calls and 15 million letters from Self Assessment and PAYE customers. HMRC commits to responding to complaints within 15 days of receipt and therefore expects that, excluding any that may be received in the last few weeks before abolition, outstanding complaints will have been cleared. The number of complaints relating to Class 2 contributions received in the last three years is set out in the table below: YearNo. of complaints2013/1411222014/1512102015/16831

Pay: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what change there has been in the level of (a) income tax receipts from and (b) average wages in Birmingham over the last 10 years; and what steps he has taken to support the creation of high-quality and high-paying jobs in cities.

Mr David Gauke: For part a) estimates of income tax liabilities in respect of Birmingham are included in National Statistics Table 3.14 ('Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority'), published annually. These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes for which 2013-14 is the latest tax year available. Figures for the 2008-09 tax year are not currently available. Table 3.14 for each tax year can be found at the following two links:Tables for 1999-2000 to 2009-10, inclusive (except 2008-09, which is not currently available): http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120609145917/http:/hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#313Tables for 2010-11 onwards:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-tax-by-borough-and-district-or-unitary-authority-2010-to-2011 For part b) The Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), is carried out in April each year and is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.

Treasury: Public Expenditure

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding was allocated to each of his Department's sub-divisions in each year since 2009-10; and what forecasts of allocations have been made for future years.

Harriett Baldwin: The funding for each of Treasury’s sub divisions since 2009-10 can be found on the Main Estimates at www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-main-estimates. The Treasury does not usually set detailed budgets more than a year ahead but have provided the Office for Budget Responsibility with a funding commitment for the period to 2020-21. This can be found at www.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/topics/governance-and-reporting/#letters.

Revenue and Customs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36723 on Revenue and Customs, if he will list all the teams within each of the five HM Revenue and Customs' business areas.

Mr David Gauke: The teams within each of the five HM Revenue and Customs’ business areas are in the table attached.. 



PQ attachment
(Word Document, 13.52 KB)

Tax Collection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 7.1 of HM Revenue and Customs' document, Measuring Tax Gaps, 2015 Edition, published in October 2015, what definition his Department uses of the terms (a) technical risks not subject to litigation, (b) avoidance risks subject to litigation and (c) technical risks subject to litigation; and what enforcement options are available to recover money identified from technical risks not subject to litigation.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published its latest tax gap estimates on 22 October 2015 in Measuring tax gaps 2015 edition and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps. A Methodological Annex was also published on the same date. In Measuring tax gaps 2015 page 65 sets out the definitions of risks. Risks are classified into two broad categories; avoidance and technical risks. The avoidance category relates to the use of disclosed avoidance schemes and other suspected avoidance identified by our tax specialists. Technical risks cover a wide range of risks: from cases where there is genuine uncertainty about the correct tax treatment, through mistakes to culpable errors in, or omissions from, the company tax return. Avoidance and technical risks are split into four main categories according to how the risks are worked by HMRC (Methodological annex page 59):a) Technical risks where agreement has been reachedb) Technical risks where agreement is expectedc) Avoidance risks where the enquiry is closed or the risk is being workedd) Technical risks that have been litigated or are leading to litigation. Enforcement options to recover money identified from technical risks not subject to litigation are treated the same as any other non-compliance. The enforcement actions HMRC can take to get any tax owed are published on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/if-you-dont-pay-your-tax-bill.

Ministry of Justice

Squatting

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the provisions preventing squatting in residential buildings to non-residential premises.

Dominic Raab: The Government has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the offence of squatting in the way suggested.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how much has been paid to officials of his Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

Mike Penning: With the exception of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Ministry of Justice does not make any additional incentive payments to staff for working overtime in addition to overtime payments or time off in lieu. NOMS does not generally pay additional incentives (over and above standard hourly rates) to staff to work overtime. In 2015 however, the Director of Public Sector Prisons approved the introduction of a bespoke scheme under which Prison Officers were invited to enter into contracts to work a set number of additional hours over a 14 week period. Staff who enter into these contracts are paid a bonus at the end of the 14 week period after having completed the agreed number of additional hours. The level of bonus payments, which are funded from existing NOMS budgets, is set at either £150 or £275 depending on the agreed number of additional hours. To provide details of the number of staff who have received such payments within the time available would incur disproportionate cost.

Prison Service: Staff

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of prison inspections in providing an accurate reflection of the work of prison service staff.

Andrew Selous: The Ministry of Justice welcomes the external scrutiny of the treatment of those in custody by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons. Annually, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons agrees with the Ministry of Justice the approach they intend for their inspection programmes. For each inspection completed, a report is published which includes recommendations for improvement. These reports are all in the public domain and available from the Inspectorate’s website. While the factual accuracy of information in inspection reports will be checked before publication, it is an important principle that the judgements expressed in reports are the Chief Inspector’s own, based on evidence collected by independent inspectors. After each inspection, recommendations made will inform an action plan adopted by those responsible for the management of the inspected establishment.

Courts: Greater London

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans further court closures in Greater London in the next 10 years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Her Majesty's Courts & Tribuanls Service keeps its operational estate under review to make sure that it aligns with the delivery of reformed court and tribunal services. Any new proposals to close courts will be subject to public consultation.

Police: International Cooperation

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on international co-operation on policing and justice matters.

Dominic Raab: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Ministry of Justice: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Dominic Raab: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Government has made of the potential implications for UK human rights legislation of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Dominic Raab: The UK has a proud tradition of respect for human rights and will continue to protect fundamental human rights.The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

EU Law

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to introduce legislative proposals to limit the effect of EU law and the role of the Court of Justice of the EU within the UK during the period of negotiation on the UK leaving the EU.

Dominic Raab: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Prisons: Emergency Calls

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many 999 calls were made by each prison establishment between January 2012 and December 2014.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many 999 calls were made by each prison establishment in each month since January 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: The information could only be provided at a disproportionate costs.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Blackburn

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) the changing of babies within churches in the Diocese of Blackburn (i) during church services and (ii) at other times.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Child Friendly Church Award, now achieved by well over 100 churches in the Diocese of Blackburn, places children at the centre of the worship & ministry of our parish churches. This ensures that mothers who wish to breastfeed will find a warm welcome and adequate provision in these churches. We are grateful to the honourable member for the interest he continues to take in the detailed domestic affairs of the parishes of the diocese. I would encourage him to take this up with the Bishop in his own diocese with regard to making progress at a local level.

Ministry of Defence

Deepcut Barracks

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will establish an independent inquiry into deaths at Deepcut Barracks.

Mark Lancaster: You may be aware that Liberty, who represent the families of Cheryl James, Sean Benton and James Collinson, wrote to the Secretary of State for Defence last month requesting that he convene an independent public inquiry into allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Deepcut. The Ministry of Defence is currently considering the matters raised in Liberty's letter. I will write with a full response once this process has been completed.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many crimes have been committed by members of the cadet forces in each of the last five years.

Mr Julian Brazier: There are 128,550 Cadets and 28,000 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV) at over 275 locations in the United Kingdom.There have been no Court Martial hearings against commissioned CFAV (some of whom are subject to Service Law) in the last five years. Cadets and other CFAV are not subject to Service Law.Disclosure and Barring Service checks are carried out on all CFAV to ensure their suitability for working with children.Information on civilian criminal convictions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

AWE

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes were made to his Department's contract with AWE Management Ltd for the management and operation of the Atomic Weapons Establishment as a result of the recent review of that contract.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether new arrangements are to be introduced for delivering the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme.

Michael Fallon: As announced in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 April 2016 (HCWS689), the contract between the Ministry of Defence and AWE Management Limited (AWEML) has been reviewed and now falls under the Single Source Procurement Framework which is overseen by the Single Source Regulations Office.As a result of the review, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has greater control over the programme, while ensuring that AWE continues to deliver value for money for the taxpayer. The contract between MOD and AWEML also provides the opportunity for higher performance incentives, as well as reductions if targets are not met.



Atomic Weapons Establishment Contract
(Word Document, 13.26 KB)

*No heading*

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) armaments and (b) enhanced defensive aid have been fitted to the Voyager aircraft used for transporting senior Ministers; and what the cost is of such adaptations.

Mr Philip Dunne: I am witholding information on the nature of any armaments or defensive aids fitted to the Voyager aircraft assigned to the transport of senior Ministers for reasons of safeguarding National Security.

Warships: Construction

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2106 to Question 40706, on Type 45 destroyers, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that other vessels which (a) have been recently commissioned and (b) are under construction do not have the same problems with their propulsion systems.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are no other vessels either recently commissioned or under construction that share a common power and propulsion system architecture with the Type 45 Destroyer. It is not therefore anticipated that future vessels will encounter the issues experienced with the Type 45 Power and Propulsion System.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how much has been paid to officials of his Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions does not pay officials additional incentives for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments.

Universal Credit

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of in-work conditionality under universal credit on the number of people offered (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment.

Justin Tomlinson: The in-work progression Randomised Control Trial is currently being expanded following a successful proof of concept stage. It is too early to provide any assessment of its impact.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children he expects will be lifted out of poverty by the introduction of universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is committed to eliminating child poverty and improving life chances for children. We know that work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. Evidence shows claimants move into work significantly faster and earn more than under the current system. In addition, Universal Credit now provides for 85% of childcare costs meaning more support for hardworking families.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17582, what his Department's timetable is for the closure of the remaining arrears-only Child Support Agency cases after the three-year cases closure programme involving cases with an on-going liability is completed.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department’s timetable for the closure of Child Support Agency arrears only cases is currently under consideration.

Jobcentres: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) close or (b) change the functions of the Jobcentre Plus facility in Oldham town centre.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is in the process of reviewing all of its estates requirements as the current contract for most of the estate comes to an end on 31 March 2018. No decision has been made on the future of Oldham Jobcentre Plus by the Department.Commercial negotiations are underway on the entirety of our estate at this time and it is not appropriate to comment further on individual sites while negotiations are in progress.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (a) how much has been paid to officials of his Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport do not, and have not in the last five years, paid any additional incentive for working overtime above the normal overtime payments.

Gaming Machines

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to commence the Triennial Review of Sales and Prizes.

Tracey Crouch: As previously stated in the House of Commons, Government is reviewing the situation and I hope to announce details of a review in due course.

Sports: Drugs

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations to the International Olympic Committee on upgrading the medals of British athletes who were placed behind athletes found guilty of doping in competitions.

Tracey Crouch: Recommendation 17 of the International Olympic Committee's Agenda 2020 seeks to honour clean athletes by awarding an Olympic medal following a positive doping case. This involves organising formal medal ceremonies for medal-winners who receive their Olympic medal following the disqualification of a competitor.Last month Australian athlete Jared Tallent was presented with an Olympic gold medal for the 50km walk at the London 2012 Games following the disqualification of a Russian athlete for a doping offence. We expect the same treatment for British athletes.

Gaming Machines

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on the Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the next Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes will address all such stakes and prizes.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further analysis is required to be undertaken by his Department before launching the next Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes.

Tracey Crouch: As previously stated in the House of Commons, Government is reviewing the situation and I hope to announce details of a review in due course.

Home Office

Travel Restrictions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were prevented from travelling to the UK by the authority to carry scheme in each month of its operation.

James Brokenshire: The Authority to Carry Scheme 2015, made under sections 22 and 23 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, entered into force on 31 March 2015. Our records indicate that for each full month of its operation to date the number of individuals in respect of whom a carrier was refused authority to carry to the UK has been as follows: Month/YearNumber of individuals in respect of whom a carrier was refused authority to carry to the UKApril/1567May/1556June/1577July/1577August/1580September/1590October/15106November/1592December/1589January/1669February/1661March/1679April/1682May/16107 Total: 1,132This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.Individuals liable to be subject of a refusal of authority to carry include those who have been excluded from the UK, who have been deported from the UK and those who are using an invalid travel document such as a lost, stolen or cancelled passport.The details of the Scheme are published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/authority-to-carry-scheme-2015The operation of the Scheme is just one part of the Government’s multi-layered approach to border security.This includes the Home Secretary’s power to excluded individuals whose presence in the UK she considers is not conducive to the public good or is justified on public security grounds; a visa regime where applicants are subject to checks before a visa is issued and applications may be refused; guidance to airlines to help them decide who is incorrectly documented and should not travel to the UK and checks on all passengers arriving at the border on scheduled services which can result in refusal of entry to the UK.

Passports: Photographs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications were rejected by HM Passport Office because of the quality of the identification photo supplied in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: HM Passport Office records indicate that during the period 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016: 219,508 passport applications had a query raised for the photograph not being acceptable and with a further photograph requested.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will set up a website to provide up-to-date advice for EU citizens who are resident in the UK on their status following the vote for the UK to leave the EU.

James Brokenshire: The gov.uk website provides information for European nationals and their family members.

Refugees: Children

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to fulfil its commitment to accept unaccompanied refugee children following the UK vote to leave the EU.

James Brokenshire: We will continue to implement the Immigration Act 2016, including the provision to transfer unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in Europe.

Immigration Controls

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the operation of the Border Force.

James Brokenshire: Following the outcome of the referendum of the UK’s membership of the European Union, Border Force’s work continues as normal at the borders. As the UK remains a member of the European Union for the time being, there have been no changes to how it undertakes Border Force frontline duties dealing with the British public and EU nationals, and in the legal framework within which it operates.

Visas: Married People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spousal visas have been granted in each of the last eight years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is shown in the table below: Partner entry clearance visas granted YearFamily: Partner Family: Partner(for immediatesettlement) 200844,499600200938,2421,314201038,4142,052201133,4961,336201230,4111,097201323,4811,081201426,352592201528,947630Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics (MBA)Immigration Statistics, January - March 2016, table vi_01_q, Visas Volume 1.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016-data-tablesThe published statistics do not distinguish between applications decided under the family Immigration Rules in force before and from 9 July 2012. The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

Immigration Controls

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the numbers of people arriving at UK border control points classed as international passengers.

James Brokenshire: To date the outcome of the referendum has not resulted in a discernible impact on the overall number of EU passengers arriving at UK border controls. Border Force will continue to monitor the situation closely with government and commercial partners.

Visas: Married People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spousal visas were revoked in each of the last eight years.

James Brokenshire: The number of spousal visas that were curtailed in each of the last eight years is as follows:YearNumber Curtailed  2008670  2009754  2010942  2011886  2012447  2013465  2014768  2015612  Please note that this data is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics. It is based on the casetypes and outcomes defined by yourselves below, any curtailments recorded in a different way will not be picked up. This needs to be made clear in the answer. Data Run as below - Casetypes used (defined by the business) - Curtailment Consideration - Other and Curtailment Consideration - Spouse/Partner onlyOutcome - CurtailedCases despatched between 01-01-2006 and 31-12-2015Data based on the report used to produce Transparency dataData produced based on criteria set by the business. Any curtailments recorded in another way are not included within this data. “Curtailment Consideration – Other” includes Leave Outside The Rules on Family Grounds.

Visas: Married People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many revoked spousal visas have led to the deportation of the spouse concerned in each of the last eight years.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of individuals returned who had previously had a spousal visa curtailed. Table 1: Number of individuals returned who had previously had a spousal visa curtailed, 2008-2015 20082009201020112012201320142015 Total returns3289126106105959683 Notes: Individuals with a spousal visa curtailment from 2006 provided for PQ 41641 have been used. Please see the caveats associated with that response for details of the data included.The dates in the table are those when the individual returned, not when their spousal visa had been curtailed (which are outlined in PQ 41641).Returns figures are based on data used in Published Returns figures from Migration Statistics and include both enforced and voluntary returns.Returns have been matched to the nearest Curtailment. Individuals with more than one curtailment have been counted only once.This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Borders: Coastal Areas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vessels believed to have been attempting to enter the UK have Border Force officials intercepted in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Specific details on numbers or locations of suspected illegal maritime arrivals are not disclosed for security reasons.

Home Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of which policy areas within her Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

James Brokenshire: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain’s future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, who should also take the decision about when to trigger article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU.

Visas

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on visa applications for René González Sehwerert and Gerardo Hernández Nordelo; and whether such applications will be processed by 11 July 2016.

James Brokenshire: In order to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is therefore unable to provide the information requested.

Borders: France

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what changes the Government plans to make to policing arrangements (a) for the UK border with France and (b) in Calais as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.

James Brokenshire: Policing arrangements in France, including at the UK-France border are the responsibility of the French Government. Additional French police deployments have reinforced border security against clandestine activity at the ports in Calais, Dunkirk and at the Channel Tunnel.The UK has invested tens of millions of pounds at the ports to improve security infrastructure and increased the number of Border Force officers, security guards and search dogs. The UK will continue to work closely with the French Government to further bolster port security.

Intelligence Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the security and intelligence agencies have held medical records as part of their bulk personal datasets.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether information relating to health or medical conditions has been included in any bulk personal datasets held by the security and intelligence agencies.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the security and intelligence agencies have held a bulk personal dataset of medical records sourced from UK or overseas healthcare providers.

Mr John Hayes: I refer the Honourable Member for Hammersmith to PQ 36125, which I answered on 12 May 2016.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assurance her Department plans to give EU nationals living in the UK and working in the voluntary sector on their right to remain in the UK after the EU referendum.

James Brokenshire: The Government has been clear that there will be no immediate changes in the circumstances of European nationals and their family members entering or currently residing in the UK.The Government wants to be able to guarantee the legal status of EU nationals who are living in the UK, and we are confident that we will be able to do this. But we must also win the same rights for British nationals living in European countries, and it will be an early negotiating objective for the Government to achieve those things together.

Home Office: Babies

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) the changing of babies in her Department.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 12 July 2016



The Home Office provides suitable facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers (where they can also change babies if required), in line with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance.

Vetting

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the time taken to process counter-terrorism checks for job applications in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) other constituent parts of the UK.

Karen Bradley: Counter-terrorism checks conducted by the Home Office form part of the national security vetting process required for employment in the Home Office.We continue to reduce the processing time for all national security vetting checks. Processing times will vary from case to case and are not broken down by constituent parts of the UK.

Scotland Office

Sovereignty: Scotland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether an Act of Parliament would be required to allow a further binding referendum on Scottish independence.

David Mundell: Competence for a referendum on Scottish independence rests with the UK Parliament. Less than two years ago the people of Scotland voted decisively to remain part of the United Kingdom. The Edinburgh Agreement committed both the UK and Scottish Governments to respect this result.

Scotland Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

David Mundell: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

District Heating

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many (a) help to buy, (b) shared ownership and (c) social housing new build properties participate in a district heating system.

Andrea Leadsom: This information is not held centrally.

Energy: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2016 to Question 41418, whether she plans to start making projections of the cost of energy imports by the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not currently have plans to produce projections of the cost of energy imports by the UK. The government is committed to making sure consumers have secure, affordable and clean energy. Keeping the cost of energy imports low will be important in helping achieve this goal.

Renewable Energy

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the proportion of electricity that will be produced from renewable sources in (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



DECC has published projections of electricity generated by renewables up to 2035 as part of the 2015 Updated Energy and Emissions Projection, as follows: Year202020302035Renewables share38%41%42%Source: Annex J of the 2015 Updated Energy and Emissions Projections, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477618/Annex-j-total-electricity-gen-by-source.xls. Note that these figures include a small amount of electricity generation from non-renewable wastes. Projections of the electricity mix so far into the future are subject to considerable uncertainty as they depend on uncertain factors such as the degree of cost reduction, fossil fuel prices and future government policy.

Energy: Exports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2016 to Question 41415, what assistance the Government provides for UK coal and gas producers seeking to export their fuels overseas to the (a) EU and (b) rest of the world.

Amber Rudd: In the case of gas, UK Trade and Investment is active in helping the UK oil and gas sector do more business internationally. In addition the remit of the new Oil & Gas Authority, established in 2015, is to work with government and industry to make sure that maximum economic benefit is derived from the UK’s oil and gas reserves. UK companies are freely able to export and import coal as part of normal market operators. UK demand for both coal and gas outweighs domestic supply, therefore the UK imports the vast majority of its coal needs and around half of its gas supply.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Babies

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) the changing of babies in her Department.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department’s main office at 3 Whitehall Place, London has a private room available for nursing mothers. It has a baby changing table, a specified refrigerator for storing expressed milk, a chair which has been specially designed to provide support when breastfeeding or expressing milk, as well as first aid couches for resting and privacy screens. Our office in Aberdeen also has a private room available for nursing mothers which has a chair and a specified refrigerator for storing expressed milk.

Cabinet Office

Civil Service: Pensions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to improve the performance of the Civil Service Pension Scheme since the publication of the National Audit Office report, Investigation into Members' experience of civil service pension administration, published in February 2016.

Matthew Hancock: Since the publication of the National Audit Office report earlier this year Cabinet Office has established updated governance on the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with a greater focus on service performance. This has helped facilitate an improvement in service performance from the pension administrator MyCSP. The Cabinet Office is committed to continuing to work with MyCSP to see this performance increase further still.Through a process to re-set the contract with MyCSP the Cabinet Office is re-establishing the full service expectations and requirements under the contract. The focus going forward will be to work closely with MyCSP to ensure that all aspects of the service members receive is improving and is satisfactory to the scheme membership.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many retired civil servants have not received pension payments from MyCSP for which they are eligible in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each month since MyCSP has been processing such payments.

Matthew Hancock: Where MyCSP has been notified by the member, or their employer, that they wish to receive their pension, all retired civil servants have had their pensions put into payment since MyCSP began processing such payments. Any pension entitlement not put into payment will be because either MyCSP has not been informed or because further information is required to enable the pension to be calculated accurately.Of the Scheme’s 658,000 retired civil servants at transfer (14,000 of which were overseas pensioners), the vast majority continued to be paid accurately and on-time. Delays occurred for 36 overseas pensioners as new banking mandates had to be completed to allow processing by the new paying bank. It was subsequently discovered that the previous paying authority had not issued notification to any overseas pensioners advising them of the change in paying administration. All delayed cases were rectified promptly when the mandates were received.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many retired civil servants have received late pension payments from MyCSP in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each month since that company has been processing such pension payments.

Matthew Hancock: In order to process payments in a timely manner, MyCSP is dependent on retirement requests being received from members (for deferred members) and Employers (for active members). Statistics are only kept on how MyCSP performs against the agreed Service Levels and this is what the responses below reflect. It should also be noted that the NAO report on customer experience made it clear that not all delays were the responsibility of MyCSP:There are a number of stakeholders involved in the delivery of the administration of the civil service pensions. MyCSP depends on the participating employers and, where applicable, their shared service providers, for the provision of complete and accurate membership data on a timely basis. Where this is not provided, delays in providing quotations or making awards will occur which are not of MyCSP's making but members may perceive MyCSP as being at fault.Since 01 July 2015, of 26,000 retirement awards processed, only 1 missed target, in August 2015:MonthRetirement awards processedProcessed within targetMissed targetJuly 20156926920August210221011September363036300October232923290November190019000December196119610January 2016170517050February195919590March273827380April249824980May213321330June235323530

Domestic Visits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2016 to Question 40722, if his Department will review its official guidance on the keeping of travel records of Ministers and departmental officials; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: All Departmental records are kept in line with Departmental policies and National Archives and Cabinet Office Guidance. The Government publishes details of Ministers’ overseas travel on a quarterly basis.

Armed Forces: Census

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that questions that would enable local authorities to ascertain the number of (a) veterans and (b) service personnel living in their areas are included in the 2021 census.

Matthew Hancock: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - 2021 Census
(PDF Document, 64.31 KB)

Divorce: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many divorces involving people aged over 50 years of age took place in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Separation: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Government holds on the incidence of relationship break-up among people aged over 50 years of age in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on each young person taking part in the National Citizens Service (NCS) in each of the last three financial years; how much is received by a regional provider to deliver the NCS programme to each young person; how much is spent by the NCS Trust on all activity other than that given to a regional provider to deliver the NCS programme; how much is given to the NCS Trust for each young person to undertake the entirety of NCS-related activity; and how much is spent annually by the NCS Trust on marketing and recruitment.

Mr Rob Wilson: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



The Cabinet Office funds NCS through an annual grant agreement with NCS Trust. Each year, an independent evaluation of NCS is published, including information on the total cost of the programme and cost per participant. These evaluations can be found at: http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/our-impact and the 2015 evaluation is due to be published later this year.NCS Trust publishes its accounts each year, and information for 2015/16 will be released in due course. As an independent organisation, NCS Trust makes decisions about the breakdown of its annual budget, including on marketing and recruitment.Payments to individual regional providers cannot be released for commercial reasons.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39321, on Civil Service recruitment, what assessment he has made of the effect of the geographical focus on London of fast stream recruitment on his Department's plans to diversify the civil service.

Matthew Hancock: Research undertaken within the Civil Service (by the Bridge Group in 2015/16) and externally (e.g. by Trendence in 2015) shows that lower socio-economic applicants are potentially more likely to be less mobile and less willing to move to London.A dedicated new assessment centre will open in Newcastle in Autumn 2016. From Autumn 2017 we intend to regionalise further, introducing 'pop up' centres in support of our fixed assessment locations.Beyond the assessment process, we also require all centrally managed Fast Streamers to undertake a regional place.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that deaf young people who are reliant on communication support such as sign language interpreters are able to access the National Citizens Service.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Government is committed to ensuring that there is a place on National Citizen Service (NCS) for every young person who wants one. The Cabinet Office is working closely with NCS Trust, the independent organisation which delivers NCS, to ensure that NCS is accessible, including to those with physical and sensory disabilities.Many NCS providers already reach out and offer support to those with disabilities, including deaf young people. The largest provider, The Challenge, has worked with the National Deaf Children's Society, and adapted the programme for deaf young people, including providing dedicated support workers.The NCS Trust is currently developing a detailed inclusion strategy to ensure that over the longer term there is consistent and high quality provision for young people with disabilities to take part in the programme.

Cabinet Office EU Unit

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans for the EU Unit to include voluntary sector representation or request input from that sector.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The new Europe Unit will bring together officials with a wide range of policy expertise from across Government. Many interest groups have directly approached Government Ministers, and Departments will look to ensure stakeholders’ views are properly captured and considered.

Public Bodies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of public bodies across government.

Matthew Hancock: This government will streamline the public bodies landscape through a robust programme of “tailored reviews” overseen by the Cabinet Office and department-led transformation programmes. Non-ministerial departments, non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies will be reviewed once per parliament. These reviews will examine whether their functions should still be delivered at arm’s length, and if so, aim to increase their efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. This builds on the public bodies reform programme delivered from 2010-15, which successfully produced fewer, more accountable, and more efficient public bodies.

Department for Education

School Meals: Payment Methods

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools use cashless payment systems for school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Cashless payment systems can have a number of advantages, including better queue management, removing issues around pursuing payment and reducing potential stigma for those claiming free school meals. However, it is for governing boards to decide the best system for collecting payment for school lunches and the department does not collect data on how many schools use such systems. The department has produced non-statutory guidance for schools on biometric systems in general, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268649/biometrics_advice_revised_12_12_2012.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average cost is of (a) the current bovine TB skin test and (b) the gamma interferon test; and what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of each of those tests.

George Eustice: The average cost per bTB skin test. Costs will vary between regions but as an example; for 105 animals per test instruction, the average cost is £288.88 which equates to £2.75 per animal tested (This is the based on invoice costs as paid to Veterinary Delivery Partners divided by the number of test instructions and animals tested respectively.) The gamma test cost IFNG Test Cost: Cost per test for:Single test5+ tests10+ testsHigh Specificity Test£30.00£24.70£22.30High Sensitivity Test£22.00£18.00£16.25 The standard IFNG blood test is a comparative test, like the tuberculin skin test. High Specificity Test for Officially TB Free herd cattle only.This reduces the likelihood of false-positive results, but at the expense of a lower Sensitivity (i.e. the probability of detecting infected animals) compared to the basic IFNG test, as follows:- Sensitivity: 74.0% [95% CI: 70.4 – 83.0]- Specificity: 99.2% [95% CI: 98.6 – 99.8]  High Sensitivity Test for cattle in TB-restricted herdsThis test is the standard IFNG test format and carries the highest Sensitivity (probability of infection detection), but at the expense of a lower Specificity (higher probability of false-positives) as follows:- Sensitivity 90.0% [95% CI: 87.2 – 92.8]- Specificity 96.5% [95% CI: 95.3 – 97.7]  The comparative tuberculin skin test has, on average, a Sensitivity of 81.0% [95%CI: 77.3 – 84.7] and Specificity of 99.98% [95%CI: 99.9 - 100].

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to adopt the gamma interferon test as the primary standardised test to detect TB in cattle.

George Eustice: The tuberculin skin test is the internationally accepted standard for detection of infection with M. bovis for the purposes of trade. The tuberculin skin test is more specific than the interferon gamma test but less sensitive (see PQ 41639). Thus the interferon gamma test is only used in specific circumstances in TB-affected herds in combination with the skin test to help with early identification and removal of TB infected animals and reduce the risk of spread of disease.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how much has been paid to officials of her Department as an additional incentive for working overtime on top of their normal overtime payments, (b) how much has been offered to any individual staff member for a one-off occurrence, (c) how many staff received such incentivised additional payments, (d) from which budgets such payments were made and (e) at which Ministerial or official level the business cases or payment approval for such payments was made in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2016 to date.

George Eustice: Defra does not pay any additional incentives to staff for working overtime on top of the normal departmental overtime payments.

Bees: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons Northern Irish beekeepers are prevented from registering on BeeBase.

George Eustice: Bee Health is a devolved matter. The decision to join BeeBase is a matter for each devolved government to make in conjunction with Defra. Beekeepers in Northern Ireland can benefit from the wealth of information on the public pages of BeeBase which provide advice and guidance on identification of bee pests and diseases and good beekeeping practices to keep their hives healthy.

Bees: Conservation

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support beekeepers whose colonies are at risk from fatal diseases.

George Eustice: Bee health is a devolved matter. In England, Defra supports beekeepers through the work of the National Bee Unit (NBU). NBU Bee Inspectors carry out inspections of over 5,000 apiaries each year looking for bee pests and diseases. Where key pests and diseases are found the inspectors take necessary statutory action for their control. They also provide beekeepers with free training and advice.

Dangerous Dogs

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been processed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 1992; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Section 1 of the 1991 Act prohibits certain types of dog, but the courts may permit some dogs to be retained by their keeper under strict conditions and registered with the Index of Exempted Dogs pursuant to a statutory exemption scheme. The number of new dogs registered with the Index per year is in the table below. The sum of these figures does not equate to the total number of dogs registered on the Index. Data on the number of dogs destroyed under section 1 or the subject of proceedings under section 3 (dog being dangerously out of control) are not collected centrally.  YearNumber of Dogs199254519939199711199835199925200015200142002720030200462005120066200718520083302009394201073020116832012678201372220146762015550

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of which policy areas within her Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

George Eustice: Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, fisheries, food and drink and our environment remain in place. The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent changes her Department has made to licensing criteria for badger control in England.

George Eustice: Following a public consultation, the following changes to licensing conditions were published on 17 December 2015: Enabling Natural England to keep the duration of annual badger control operations under review rather than limiting them to six weeks. Reducing the minimum size of an area from 150km2 to 100km2. Removing the requirement for at least 70% of the land in candidate areas to be accessible but retaining a requirement that approximately 90% of the land in the control area be either accessible, or within 200m of accessible land.

Agriculture

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has amended its draft of the 25 year plan on food and farming as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on publishing the Food and Farming Plan.

George Eustice: Following the result of the EU Referendum, we now have an opportunity to consider our long term vision for food and farming outside of the EU. It remains essential that the UK has a thriving food and farming industry with high animal welfare and environmental standards, access to international markets and a long term commitment to boosting productivity through innovation and skills. We are now focused on taking forward the actions that support these objectives, in order to develop our long term vision. To do this, we will continue to work with a wide range of interests to develop that vision, and to work together to deliver it.

Environment Protection

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on publishing the Natural Environment Plan.

George Eustice: Government remains committed to developing a long term, 25 year plan for the environment. Following the decision to leave the EU, we now have a real opportunity to shape a long-term vision for the type of environment we want in this country. To deliver this vision, we will develop a fresh and striking new approach that includes a fundamental review of our environmental policy framework.Development of this new approach to the environment will need to be informed by significant input from interested parties across many sectors. Everyone’s input into this process will be vital. Further information on the next steps and timings will be provided in due course.

Agriculture: Trade

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of future tariffs on trade with EU countries on the food and farming industry.

George Eustice: Until we leave the EU, current arrangements will remain in place. The nature of our future trading relationship with the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to prevent increases in bovine TB herd-to-herd infection rates.

George Eustice: The most recent new measures to protect England from bovine TB were introduced on 6 April as part of the Government’s comprehensive strategy, which is on track to deliver TB-free status for over half of the country by 2019. These measures included:New legislation to require farmers in the Low Risk Area of England to arrange for post-movement testing of cattle coming from the rest of England and from Wales.Tighter movement restrictions, with all herds in the High Risk Area of England affected by a new TB breakdown needing to pass two strict tests before movement restrictions are lifted. This will increase the chances of finding all infected animals in those herds, helping to reduce recurrent breakdowns and to protect other herds.Government-funded pre-sale testing, enabling sellers to provide additional assurance for buyers and mitigate the low risk of undetected TB spreading to new herds.The opportunity for herd owners to arrange private Interferon Gamma blood tests to diagnose TB, subject to certain conditions.

Department of Health

Yoga

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making yoga available through the NHS for treatment and recovery; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of any healthcare treatments for NHS patients, taking account of issues to do with safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitably qualified and regulated practitioners.

Cancer

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to review the decision to remove peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund list.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising the peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatment lutetium-177-DOTA octreotate for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours and for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. NHS England has advised that it will await the outcome of NICE’s appraisals before making any commissioning decisions on peptide receptor radionuclide therapy treatments. In the meantime, if a patient’s condition is considered clinically exceptional, then an application can be considered under NHS England’s Individual Funding Request system.

Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for personalised medicines for inoperable cancers to be available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: Our understanding of how solid tumour cancers grow and mutate is being informed by the United Kingdom’s world-leading programme to sequence 100,000 human genomes. The potential benefit of this technology is recognised worldwide. In the UK, we are developing this technology as an integrated part of a national healthcare system to ensure the translation from bench to bedside happens as rapidly as possible. As far as the Department is aware, this is not being replicated in any other country in the world.

Death

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce avoidable deaths in people below 70 years of age.

Jane Ellison: Reducing avoidable deaths and helping people to live better for longer are key priorities for the health and care system. Programmes focusing specifically on these challenges include the following: - investing up to £300 million a year by 2020 to improve earlier cancer diagnosis;- providing screening programmes to identify disease earlier;- running campaigns, such as the Be Clear on Cancer campaigns, to raise awareness and encourage people with symptoms to seek diagnosis earlier;- rolling out our risk identification and management programmes, such as the NHS Health Check and the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programmes;- introducing a range of tobacco control legislation, including: the standardised packaging of tobacco products, in order to discourage young people from starting smoking; helping adult smokers to quit; and a commitment to a new tobacco control plan in 2016 to continue to drive down smoking rates; and- tackling other lifestyle factors such as helping people to drink more moderately, eat healthily and take more exercise. Local authorities have lead responsibility for improving the health of their local populations and this responsibility is supported by over £16 billion of funding over the spending review period. This is in addition to what the National Health Service spends on prevention, including through national immunisation and screening programmes.

Headaches

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Government plans for TEV-48125 to be made available on the NHS.

George Freeman: TEV-48125 is still undergoing clinical trials in the United States for the treatment of migraine and it would be premature to comment on its future availability on the National Health Service.

Neuroblastoma

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether new treatments for high-risk neuroblastoma are planned for availability on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: Immunotherapy to treat cancer is an emergent area of clinical practice and, at this stage, there are only a few treatments that have been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that are commissioned by NHS England. There are currently two new immunotherapies for neuroblastoma in particular which are currently being considered by NICE - dinutuximab and APN311. At present both are only available via clinical trials in the United Kingdom.

Pain

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps NHS England has taken to assist in reducing the incidence of chronic pain.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of potential savings to the public purse that would accrue from a reduction in the incidence of chronic pain.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department has allocated to (a) assess the extent of and (b) treat chronic pain.

Jane Ellison: NHS England estimates that around 14 million people in the United Kingdom, both children and adults suffer with chronic pain. The vast majority of services for people are planned and paid for locally by clinical commissioning groups. The routine assessment and management of pain is a required competency of all healthcare professionals. Many patients with chronic pain can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. It is important that patients with the most serious pain management issues are able to access specialist care. A patient whose pain is particularly difficult to manage may be referred to a specialised pain management service. Under the care of an expert multidisciplinary team, patients may be offered specialised pain management programmes specifically and more complex drug treatments. Such services are commissioned nationally by NHS England as part of its remit to deliver specialised services. To support clinicians in the management of pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published several clinical guidelines on the treatment and management of different types of pain, such as migraine and back pain, as well as technical guidance on specific treatments, such as the use of opiates in palliative care and deep brain stimulation for chronic pain.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to support the development of clinician-led neuromuscular networks across England.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has held with NHS ambulance trusts on undertaking collaborative work with Muscular Dystrophy UK to increase health professionals' knowledge of care for people with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with NHS ambulance trusts to encourage them to work with Muscular Dystrophy UK to increase health professionals' knowledge of care for people with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that includes an exemplar service specification for neuromuscular conditions that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf National Health Service providers, working with local area teams, may establish neuromuscular networks if they consider it would benefit service provision; such decisions are a local matter.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that UK access to emerging treatments for (a) muscular dystrophy and (b) other neuromuscular conditions is maintained in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Alan Brown) on 5 July 2016 to Question 41576.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent progress has been made on the Competition Market Authority's investigation into claims that generic drug procurement costs are being artificially increased by suppliers.

George Freeman: I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Steve McCabe) on 4 July 2016 to Question 41350.

Maternity Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if NHS England-appointed Maternity Choice and Personalisation pioneers will take steps to improve outcomes in high-risk multiple pregnancies.

Ben Gummer: The principal focus of the Maternity Choice and Personalisation Pioneers is to test ways of improving choice and personalisation for all women accessing maternity services in the Pioneer areas, as recommended by Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review. More effective choice and personalisation in maternity services is expected to result in services that better meet women’s needs and preferences, including for women who tend to experience poorer outcomes such as is the case in high-risk multiple pregnancies. The development of a personalised care plan tailored to each woman’s needs, together with the offer of a Personal Maternity Care Budget through which a woman may make meaningful, well-informed decisions about her care, should ensure that the right care is delivered to the woman and her baby taking account of her individual circumstances and how they might change as her pregnancy progresses.

Maternity Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England plans to review individual maternity-related strategic transformation plans to see how each local area plans to improve outcomes in high-risk multiple pregnancies; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The March guidance on Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) stressed the importance of responding to 10 key priority areas which included maternity. Footprints are at different starting points, and so the degree of detail that has been provided in the 30 June STP checkpoint varies. However, final STPs will be expected to set out how Mandate priorities will be delivered, including improvement to maternity services, before being agreed.

Maternity Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England plans to include the measurement of outcomes in multiple pregnancies in annual reporting for clinical commissioning groups which commission maternity services.

Ben Gummer: There are no plans to specifically include the measurement of outcomes in multiple pregnancies in the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Improvement and Assessment Framework. The relatively low numbers of multiple pregnancies at CCG level means that such data is unlikely to be consistently robust and meaningful.

*No heading*

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will direct Public Health England to commission research into the inequality of the distribution of sexually transmitted infections between young people and the rest of the population.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research funds the Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections. This is a research partnership between University College London and Public Health England, in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The unit has a programme of research looking at reducing risk of sexually transmitted infections among important risk groups, and at reducing inequalities and improving sexual health.

Medical Treatments

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides for people on their options for accessing safe and reliable treatments which are not offered through the NHS.

George Freeman: The decision to be treated privately outside the National Health Service is one for individuals and their clinicians to make, in accordance with the relevant professional and regulatory requirements. Guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care was issued in 2009 and is available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404423/patients-add-priv-care.pdf

Drugs

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish the final Accelerated Access Review related to drug development and innovation; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Government expects to publish the review it commissioned on the independently chaired Accelerated Access Review shortly. The Review team are currently considering publication dates.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which UK drug and alcohol treatment is dependent on EU funding streams; whether such streams will remain open until such time as Article 50 is enacted; and what measures his Department plans to put in place to maintain the level of that funding from the public purse after Article 50 is enacted.

Jane Ellison: Drug and alcohol treatment services in England are funded by local authorities from the public health grant, which does not include European Union funding streams. Individual drug and alcohol treatment services may have applied for and received EU funding, however this data is not collected centrally. As the Prime Minister has made clear, while the United Kingdom remains a member of the EU, current EU funding arrangements continue unchanged. It will be for the Government under the new Prime Minister to begin the negotiation to leave, and set out arrangements for those schemes currently in receipt of EU funds.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to require manufacturers to display the calorific content of alcoholic drinks on labels.

Jane Ellison: The Government has no plans to require manufacturers to display the calorific contents of alcoholic drinks on labels. However, some businesses do choose to do so voluntarily.

Tobacco: Advertising

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to review advertising regulations for reduced-harm tobacco products to take account of the potential of those products to help people quit smoking.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to advise smokers on the range of harm-reduction products available to help them quit smoking.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to include reduced-harm products in the Government's tobacco control plan on account of their potential health benefits to smokers.

Jane Ellison: For the first time, from May 2016, cessation information to signpost consumers to quitting support has become mandatory on tobacco products. The Government’s advice remains that the best thing a smoker can do is to quit and quit for good. Any smokers wanting to quit, with or without the help of products available on the market, are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good with the personalised support offered by local stop smoking services. The National Centre for Stop Smoking Services has issued guidance on offering advice to those wanting to use e-cigarettes as part of their quit attempts and encouraged local stop smoking services to be open to their use. The Government recognises that some people have found e-cigarettes helpful in quitting smoking and that they are considerably less harmful than continuing to smoke. The forthcoming tobacco control plan will consider the role of e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England. The Department has no current plans to review the restrictions on advertising for tobacco products.

Electronic Cigarettes

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent work his Department has commissioned with the Public Health Research Consortium on the effects of e-cigarettes.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Public Health of 17 December 2015, Official Report, column 638WH, when he plans to publish the Public Health Research Consortium report on the effect of e-cigarettes.

Jane Ellison: The Department’s Policy Research Programme funds the Public Health Research Consortium (PHRC). The PHRC is undertaking the project ‘E-Cigarettes: Development of Tools to Measure Norms Towards Ordinary Cigarettes and Nicotine Use’. This started in April 2015 and is currently in the write-up stage. It is due to go to peer review and publication plans will be developed subsequently.